Fall is a wonderful time of the year in the Philadelphia. Winter is cold. Spring seems to bring a pent up energy. Summer is hot. Fall is the perfect combination of good weather, festivals that don't seem overly packed, and free time to enjoy the areas offerings before the winter accounting busy season picks up again. It feels like there is something going on every weekend...because there is something going on every weekend.
WEEKEND 1: September 9, 2023
We started our fall explorations where Philadelphia started...Penn Treaty Park. We ate breakfast at Her Daughter's, a neighborhood cafe deep in the heart of Port Richmond. An area that we rarely explore and yet shows that Philadelphia has great neighborhoods throughout the city. A Port Richmond breakfast sandwich (a crazy combination of pork roll, mustard cream cheese, and Ruffle potato chips) and photo op in front of a flower wall and we were on our way to the Philadelphia waterfront. Arch Street Pier. Check. Cherry Street Pier. Check. Off to the historic district.
We started our fall explorations where Philadelphia started...Penn Treaty Park. We ate breakfast at Her Daughter's, a neighborhood cafe deep in the heart of Port Richmond. An area that we rarely explore and yet shows that Philadelphia has great neighborhoods throughout the city. A Port Richmond breakfast sandwich (a crazy combination of pork roll, mustard cream cheese, and Ruffle potato chips) and photo op in front of a flower wall and we were on our way to the Philadelphia waterfront. Arch Street Pier. Check. Cherry Street Pier. Check. Off to the historic district.
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One of the nice elements of Philadelphia, is that if you show up early on a weekend morning, I'm talking before 9 or 10, you can easily find prime, convenient street parking. When you are doing a lot of walking and your feet are sore or you've been carrying a toddler, parking the car close by makes for an easy escape at the end of the trek. A walk through Old City lead us past Christ Church to Betsy Ross's house. Around the corner from here, one of the area's youngest residents saw the oldest, continuously inhabited, residential street in America for the first time. We then grabbed a Turkish coffee and baklava with Cousin Mike and Janelle, his wife.
A good start to the fall exploration. You can never go wrong with a quick morning pass through Philadelphia's historical section.
A good start to the fall exploration. You can never go wrong with a quick morning pass through Philadelphia's historical section.
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WEEKEND 2: September 16, 2023
Wondering what could cause such a smile on Charlotte? It's a carnival! The Spring Mill Fire House hosts a charity carnival every fall - this year marked the Fire House's 100th anniversary. Overall a good time. Carnivals always seem to have a mix of fun and scary, family friendly and creepy. This carnival was no exception. The rides looked safe but weren't...at least for a 19-month old. No straps on the Merry-Go-Round horses? Although that's exactly what I'd expect at a carnival.
Wondering what could cause such a smile on Charlotte? It's a carnival! The Spring Mill Fire House hosts a charity carnival every fall - this year marked the Fire House's 100th anniversary. Overall a good time. Carnivals always seem to have a mix of fun and scary, family friendly and creepy. This carnival was no exception. The rides looked safe but weren't...at least for a 19-month old. No straps on the Merry-Go-Round horses? Although that's exactly what I'd expect at a carnival.
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Huge blunder on my part to take her on the herky, jerky roller coaster. I can't believe she didn't cry. We had to get french fries and an ice cream after that experience.
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A few more Carnival photos. We spent the next morning in Wayne shopping for winter coats - really just an excuse to get to Wayne.
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In the afternoon it was Conshohocken funfest, although Charlotte may need to wait another two-to-three years before she can truly participate in the fun games of funfest.
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WEEKEND 3: September 23, 2023
Tropical Storm Ophelia made this weekend a literally wash out but figuratively we kept the Fall season party going. On Friday we took a loop out to Lancaster for Charlotte to get her first taste of how her ancestors lived. We did what all visitors to Lancaster do...started at a smorgasbord. The Bird-in-Hand restaurant's buffet had all the Pennsylvania Dutch classics - corn fritters, brown-buttered noodles, ham balls, chow chow, chicken corn chowder, macaroni and cheese topped with stewed tomatoes along with Shoofly Pie for dessert. We burned off all those calories (or at least some of them) with a walk around Lancaster's Central Market.
Tropical Storm Ophelia made this weekend a literally wash out but figuratively we kept the Fall season party going. On Friday we took a loop out to Lancaster for Charlotte to get her first taste of how her ancestors lived. We did what all visitors to Lancaster do...started at a smorgasbord. The Bird-in-Hand restaurant's buffet had all the Pennsylvania Dutch classics - corn fritters, brown-buttered noodles, ham balls, chow chow, chicken corn chowder, macaroni and cheese topped with stewed tomatoes along with Shoofly Pie for dessert. We burned off all those calories (or at least some of them) with a walk around Lancaster's Central Market.
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We then drove up to Lititz for a quick stop at the Julius Sturgis Pretzel factory. Charlotte was a bit too young for the tour but we wanted to show the oldest pretzel factory in America along with how nice Lititz is to our out-of-town relative visitors. One final stop at The Green Dragon, a new place recommended by Aunt Karen and Uncle Jim. The Green Dragon is a massive, Friday's only, flea market of sorts offering everything from animal auctions to produce to more Pennsylvania Dutch food to toys to clothes.
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WEEKEND 4: September 30, 2023
After a quiet Saturday it was down to Dover, Delaware on Sunday to celebrate cousin Zoe's birthday. Although from Charlotte's reaction and interaction with others, it's possible she thought this celebration was all about her. It didn't take long for her to figure out where to go and what to do inside the trampoline park that hosted Zoe's party. No fear or intimidation from the larger kids running around, Charlotte had to try everything the park offered. A pizza dinner. It was a quiet ride home.
After a quiet Saturday it was down to Dover, Delaware on Sunday to celebrate cousin Zoe's birthday. Although from Charlotte's reaction and interaction with others, it's possible she thought this celebration was all about her. It didn't take long for her to figure out where to go and what to do inside the trampoline park that hosted Zoe's party. No fear or intimidation from the larger kids running around, Charlotte had to try everything the park offered. A pizza dinner. It was a quiet ride home.
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WEEKEND 5: October 7, 2023
A variety-packed weekend followed the previously subdued one. The weekend started with a Friday lunch trip to the Elmwood Park Zoo. Hooray for working from home and quiet Fridays. At Charlotte's previous zoo experience at the Central Park Zoo she seemed to be more interested in the squirrels than the animals. I was curious how she'd handle her second zoo experience. This time around she was definitely aware of and focus on the animal exhibits although I still would have expected a slightly stronger reaction to the giraffe.
A variety-packed weekend followed the previously subdued one. The weekend started with a Friday lunch trip to the Elmwood Park Zoo. Hooray for working from home and quiet Fridays. At Charlotte's previous zoo experience at the Central Park Zoo she seemed to be more interested in the squirrels than the animals. I was curious how she'd handle her second zoo experience. This time around she was definitely aware of and focus on the animal exhibits although I still would have expected a slightly stronger reaction to the giraffe.
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Her favorite area was a bird aviary. Aside from a hissing duck the birds and Charlotte got along fine together. She showed off her jumping abilities to the mostly flightless birds. Elmwood Park Zoo is a great neighborhood zoo. No one is going to mistake it for a larger zoo like the nearby Philadelphia zoo but it's a fun place to walk around. It's an intimate experience with friendly zookeepers. There's a playground. A few picnic areas. We are looking forward to participating in events the zoo holds in the coming years. We stopped at Eve's Lunch on the way home for a zep - a sort of open-faced hoagie. Good, local spot.
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Saturday morning found us at Cliveden in Germantown where Charlotte helped to set up George Washington's tent and she had no hesitation in confronting the British soldiers. If she had been here in 1777 maybe Washington and his troops wouldn't have needed to spend the winter at Valley Forge.
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The Battle of Germantown was fought in Cliveden's front yard. Philadelphia is a fascinating city in that on one block you could be walking through a former Revolutionary War battle field and the next block drinking a cappuccino from a hip neighborhood coffee shop.
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It is Fall Festival season and we finally made it to a fall festival - Ambler's Octoberfest. Charlotte drives through Ambler every morning on the way to preschool. It was nice to get out and walk Butler Pike and see Ambler close up.
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WEEKEND 6: October 14, 2023
Knowing that a big trip was on the horizon for next weekend we took it relatively easy this week - only two parties to attend. Mom seems to know everyone and if there's dancing and eating cake involved then Charlotte is sure to tag along. Saturday night was a birthday party for one of mom's friends with lots of food, music, and dancing. Sunday was another birthday party for the child of a mom works with.
Knowing that a big trip was on the horizon for next weekend we took it relatively easy this week - only two parties to attend. Mom seems to know everyone and if there's dancing and eating cake involved then Charlotte is sure to tag along. Saturday night was a birthday party for one of mom's friends with lots of food, music, and dancing. Sunday was another birthday party for the child of a mom works with.
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Don't tell Dad that I had two pieces of cake.
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WEEKEND 7: October 21, 2023
How big was this weekend? So big that Dad had to create a separate web page to capture all the memories. We went to Dad's happy place - the Delaware River area above New Hope. Hopefully many more return trips here in the Falls to come.
How big was this weekend? So big that Dad had to create a separate web page to capture all the memories. We went to Dad's happy place - the Delaware River area above New Hope. Hopefully many more return trips here in the Falls to come.
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On Sunday morning we went on a walk through Wissahickon Park. What's the only thing better than a fall weekend morning walk along the Wissahickon? Eating a chocolate donut on a fall weekend morning walk along the Wissahickon, of course!
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WEEKEND 8: October 28, 2023
We stayed local this weekend and went to some of the other Charlotte Hamill's favorite places. Breakfast at Jake's then a stroll through the Churchville Nature Center.
We stayed local this weekend and went to some of the other Charlotte Hamill's favorite places. Breakfast at Jake's then a stroll through the Churchville Nature Center.
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Then back to Lola's and Papa's to for some pumpkin carving and chocolate pudding making (and tasting).
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Halloween was this week too and Charlotte was completely into it. Grabbing as much candy as she could. No fear from scary looking houses or costumes. Full breakdown:
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WEEK 9: November 4, 2023
On Saturday, the Goddard School Spring House held their grand opening. No need to overthink the Saturday plans. Let's attend the event, have some fun, run around, and eat some snacks. Also first time on a school bus. Weeeeee!
On Saturday, the Goddard School Spring House held their grand opening. No need to overthink the Saturday plans. Let's attend the event, have some fun, run around, and eat some snacks. Also first time on a school bus. Weeeeee!
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Because Sunday was a big day. An Independence Hall-sized day. Last year Dad was a bit frustrated on daylight savings. He was hoping to catchup on sleep with the extra Fall-back hour. Unfortunately, neither Annie nor Charlotte got the memo on daylight savings - Annie in particular. Come 6:30 in the morning, Annie started scratching, wondering why we were an hour late for her morning walk. This year, Dad planned ahead. Embrace the early wake up by heading into Philadelphia. No traffic. Zoom in. Grab a breakfast sandwich. Take some photos at Independence Hall. Zoom out. The plan went off without a hitch. Besides no traffic, there was plenty of parking right next to all our stops. We may need to make this an annual day light savings tradition.
I've taken photos of Charlotte at various sites knowing full well that she will have no recollection of the experience yet will still be able to look back fondly years from now at this little person soaking in the environment. A major miss in these photo stops was the major local site - Independence Hall. We needed these photos. Major accomplishment to get this done.
I've taken photos of Charlotte at various sites knowing full well that she will have no recollection of the experience yet will still be able to look back fondly years from now at this little person soaking in the environment. A major miss in these photo stops was the major local site - Independence Hall. We needed these photos. Major accomplishment to get this done.
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We had to get a photo of the Penn Mutual building. Do you know who used to work there...
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And the Liberty Bell.
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The superlative "best" gets thrown around quite a bit these days. Good Morning America (among others) has called Middle Child's Herschel breakfast sandwich, which is eggs (the fluffiest eggs I've eaten), pastrami, and cooper cheese on rye, the best breakfast sandwhich in America. I'd love to nitpick, tell you this isn't the best breakfast sandwich in America, tell you there's a place around the corner even better, tell you I've had breakfast burritos that are better...I can't. This is unarguably the best breakfast sandwich in America.
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WEEK 10: November 11, 2023
Weekend trip to Pittsburgh with Lola, Papa, Dad, and Annie to visit Uncle Scott and Aunt Dawn. We decided to make a few stops on the way out - first stop for lunch at the Knickerbocker Tavern, Altoona's oldest, continuously operating restaurant. After lunch we drove out of town to see the World Famous Altoona Horseshoe curve. And wouldn't you know it, two trains passed by, one in each direction, while we were there. Very loud but we were really able to appreciate the curve as the two trains snaked passed one another. Is there a train trip to Altoona in the future to go through the curve ourselves? Possibly.
Weekend trip to Pittsburgh with Lola, Papa, Dad, and Annie to visit Uncle Scott and Aunt Dawn. We decided to make a few stops on the way out - first stop for lunch at the Knickerbocker Tavern, Altoona's oldest, continuously operating restaurant. After lunch we drove out of town to see the World Famous Altoona Horseshoe curve. And wouldn't you know it, two trains passed by, one in each direction, while we were there. Very loud but we were really able to appreciate the curve as the two trains snaked passed one another. Is there a train trip to Altoona in the future to go through the curve ourselves? Possibly.
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We spent the night in Johnstown. Who knew Johnstown had a fine-dining Italian restaurant perched on a ridge overlooking the town below? Uncle Scott of course. Although the Asiago staff had never heard of him. We still enjoyed a meal of alfredo pasta among other Italian dishes.
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The next morning we drove through Johnstown's historic business district. It was a quick but good impression leaving us with a desire to return and explore the town a bit more in the future.
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We then stopped at not one, but two bakeries. First a small bakery/coffee shop in Blairsville. Then Oakmont Bakery, the grandest bakery of them all. We will need to return until we've tried every cake, cookie, donut, and specialty pastry.
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WEEK 11: November 18, 2023
Daddy said we need a break. After a busy Friday night at Home Depot and Ikea we laid low the rest of the weekend.
Daddy said we need a break. After a busy Friday night at Home Depot and Ikea we laid low the rest of the weekend.
WEEK 12: November 25, 2023
Thanksgiving Dinner at Aunt Nancy and Uncle Steve's. Charlotte ate all of her turkey, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes and still have room left over for a whipped cream desert.
Thanksgiving Dinner at Aunt Nancy and Uncle Steve's. Charlotte ate all of her turkey, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes and still have room left over for a whipped cream desert.
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On Friday we braved the crowds and took our second Fall loop out to Lancaster stopping at Outback Toys in Lititz, Passenger Coffee, lunch at Lancaster Brewing, then a final stop a Lapp's Toys.
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What better way to conclude our Philadelphia campaign than to follow in the footsteps of America's First President, George Washington? Admittedly, attending birthday parties, visiting the zoo, and trips along the Delaware River aren't quite the same experience as Washington faced in his Philadelphia campaign but Charlotte looked like she could have fit right in with the Continental Army when they made their march into Valley Forge in December 1777. A visit to Washington's Headquarters is always fascinating because you can walk the same floors and touch the same banister as George Washington.
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We took the inner drive to see the statue of "Mad" Anthony Wayne and the War Memorial Arch.
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We even checked out the troops' cabins. I can't imagine spending six months in these cabins.
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That concludes an eventful Fall season...or does it? We may still do a loop down to Wilmington and back up to West Chester next weekend but for now everything is focused on the coming Christmas season - Santa Claus sightings and perusing at Christmas villages.